Agenda Item
City Traffic Commission
Item #: 4.1. 2/8/2023 File #: 23-0060
TO: Chair and Members of the City Traffic Commission
THRU: Larry Tay, City Traffic Engineer
FROM: Dave Allenbach, Transportation Analyst
1. SUBJECT
Implementation of Neighborhood Parking Permit Program on both sides of Sycamore Avenue from Rancho Santiago Boulevard to Richard Street.
2. SUMMARY
A request for permit parking on Sycamore Avenue and four other nearby streets was processed in accordance with the City’sNeighborhood Permit Parking Program. Of the five streets considered, only Sycamore Avenue met the minimum required 75 percent support. Sycamore Avenue satisfied all other applicable requirements and implementation criteria.
3. RECOMMENDED ACTION
1. Approve permit parking on both sides of Sycamore Avenue from Rancho Santiago Boulevard to Richard Street.
2. Forward to the City Council for final approval.
4. FISCAL IMPACT
The total expenditure for the project is $1,000 and will be funded in Minor Traffic Control Devices (16302) through Traffic Improvement Measure M2 (263).
5. STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Goal 1: Provide for a safe community
b. Provide and maintain infrastructure necessary to ensure the safety of the public.
6. DISCUSSION AND BACKGROUND
Background
A resident of Sycamore Avenue submitted a request to initiate the process for permit parking on a total of five streets in the neighborhood (as depicted in the Area Map attached): Sycamore Avenue, Christine Street, Silverleaf Avenue, Richard Street and Rancho Santiago Boulevard. In accordance with the City’s Neighborhood Permit Parking Program (NPPP) process, staff performed an initial screening of the proposed study area to determine the following:
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Item #: 4.1. 2/8/2023 File #: 23-0060
1. Whether a street is eligible to be considered for permit parking; and
2. If so, does said street lie within a city-defined permit parking area (Area “A”or any of the five permit parking “opportunity areas”) with streamlined procedures.
Because each of the above streets is eligible for permit parking and outside of a city-defined permit parking area, minimum levels of parking occupancy and property owner support must be met in order to recommend permit parking. Both are discussed below.
Parking Occupancy Study
Staff mapped and counted the number of legal parking spaces for each of the five streets in the study area. The proponent provided staff with the days and times when parking demand in the neighborhood was believed to be at its highest. Staff then conducted the parking observations during those reported hours. Per the City’s adopted NPPP, a street parking occupancy rate of 75% is required to qualify for permit parking. Sycamore Avenue was the only street in the neighborhood to exceed the 75% threshold with an average parking occupancy of 86%. Christine Street (28%), Richard Street (58%) Silverleaf Avenue (42%) and Rancho Santiago Boulevard (58%) each failed to meet the 75% threshold.
Petition Results
Because parking occupancy exceeded the minimum 75% threshold only on Sycamore Avenue, a petition was circulated to those residents on both sides of the street (the other streets were not included.) A petition letter and a list of permit parking advantages and disadvantages were provided by the Traffic Division to each of the resident property owners and absentee property owners on the candidate street. The table below shows the results of the neighborhood polling as of January 19,2023.
Affected Streets Households In Favor Households OpposedUnreturned Sycamore Ave. 9 81.8% 0 0% 2 18.2%
The final results of the petition indicate that Sycamore Avenue has 82% of property owners in favor of the permit parking program, which exceeds the minimum 75% required. Participation in the permit program is voluntary; however, after implementation any vehicle parked on the street without a permit can be cited.
Findings
Staff has documented a consistently high demand for on-street parking on Sycamore Avenue that becomes progressively greater through the evening hours. The level of parking demand exceeds the minimum requirements under the policies of the NPPP. Therefore, permit parking is recommended on Sycamore Avenue. However, the following should be kept in mind:
1. Under the August 2022 NPPP Guidelines, property owners on any adjacent street experiencing spillover may request permit parking within a year without having to pay the application fee. Parking occupancy, petition thresholds, and other program requirements in effect at the time would still apply.
2. Any vehicle parked in a designated parking-by-permit area without a permit is subject to citation; furthermore, parking permits do not supersede the overnight parking restriction on City of Orange Printed on 2/2/2023Page 2 of 3
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Item #: 4.1. 2/8/2023 File #: 23-0060
Sycamore Avenue or the street sweeping restrictions in the neighborhood.
The proponent and all residents and businesses within potential impact areas of this neighborhood were notified of this item on Traffic Commission Meeting agenda.
7. ATTACHMENTS
· Letter of Request
· Area Map
· Petition Area
· NPPP Implementation Policy Update 2022
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